Australia Deliver Brutal Reminder To England As Walsh Seals Ashes Sweep

Australia saw disconnected different defiant effort from England to complete an Ashes bid whitewash, successful a Test lucifer that had each nan hallmarks of nan first 2 but which leaves nan hosts pinch awesome mobility marks complete their early earlier adjacent year’s World Cup.

This bid had been billed arsenic nan astir important infinitesimal for English rugby convention successful years, pinch nan Ashes returning aft a 22-year hiatus. In nan first 2 Tests, nan taxable had mostly been nan same: England undoubtedly competed but lacked attacking value erstwhile it mattered most.

The communicative successful Leeds was nan same. England trailed by conscionable 4 astatine half-time astatine Headingley and looked good group to astatine slightest push to make it 2-1. But they wasted chance aft chance to spell up and aft nan Kangaroos quelled that pressure, they vanished nan stronger to tally retired comfortable victors.

Shaun Wane remains nether statement for adjacent year’s World Cup but his broadside has scored conscionable 2 tries successful 3 games. This was acold from a vintage Kangaroos broadside but England were still a distant second.

The penning appeared to beryllium connected nan wall for nan hosts early on, erstwhile Australia collapsed nan deadlock pinch worryingly minimal fuss. A slick handling move to nan near had England’s defence sliding successful excessively far, allowing Josh Addo-Carr a walk-in astatine nan area for his first effort of nan series.

As successful nan first 2 Tests, England responded good successful position of their tone and possession heavy successful Australian territory but they did small to frighten nan Kangaroos’ statement erstwhile it mattered most.

Reece Walsh inspired Australia to victory. Photograph: Matt West/Shutterstock

Their origin wasn’t helped pinch AJ Brimson going disconnected pinch a enarthrosis wounded and nan Hull KR half-back Mikey Lewis having to slot successful astatine full-back. Lewis’s inexperience successful that position was past exploited arsenic Nathan Cleary’s pinpoint footwear caught him off-guard and Hudson Young capitalised to make it 12-0. At that stage, you feared things would get disfigured quickly for nan hosts but to their credit, they rallied superbly.

England needed a spark successful onslaught and 7 minutes from half-time Jez Litten – arguably nan hosts’ subordinate of nan bid – stepped done nan Australia midfield earlier kicking up for George Williams. Harry Smith converted earlier adding a punishment connected nan changeable of nan interval and abruptly it was 12-8 and very overmuch crippled on.

Frustratingly, each nan momentum remained pinch England aft nan restart too. For a prolonged play they were camped connected nan Australia statement but, conscionable as astatine Everton a week earlier, they did thing of immoderate statement erstwhile it mattered most, letting nan Kangaroos disconnected nan hook clip and clip again.

Sure enough, nan Test was emphatically put to furniture successful a five-minute play successful which nan hosts switched off. On 62 minutes, nan decisive effort came arsenic Australia went 2 scores up arsenic Harry Grant scampered complete from dummy-half earlier a sloppy transition of play from nan hosts led to Reece Walsh scoring his 3rd effort of nan series.

Just for illustration that, pinch Cleary converting both, it was 24-8 and a sadistic reminder of what had happened astatine Wembley and Everton. Walsh’s 2nd pinch a infinitesimal remaining was further brackish successful nan wounds.

Now, pinch nan World Cup a twelvemonth away, nan inquest originates arsenic to whether Wane carries connected beyond a bid that has felt for illustration a immense missed opportunity for English rugby league.